System and method for evenly-scattered adaptable subject lighting for mobile device photography

ABSTRACT

A system for evenly-scattered adaptable subject lighting for mobile device photography, comprising a case configured to enclose and securely fasten a mobile device and an illuminating portion, the illuminating portion configured to produce light based on input received from a plurality of sensors. The system further comprising a plurality of programming instructions stored in a memory and operating on a processor of a network-connected computing device, and configured to direct the operation of the illuminating portion comprising at least a sensor processor and an image capture device, wherein the sensor processor adjusts the illuminating portion based on preconfigured thresholds to provide evenly-scatter lighting for capturing images of subjects via the image capture device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation patent application of U.S.application Ser. No. 16/921,904 titled “A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOREVENLY-SCATTERED ADAPTABLE SUBJECT LIGHTING FOR MOBILE DEVICEPHOTOGRAPHY,” filed Jul. 6, 2020. That application is a continuation ofU.S. application Ser. No. 16/112,767 entitled “A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOREVENLY-SCATTERED ADAPTABLE SUBJECT LIGHTING FOR MOBILE DEVICEPHOTOGRAPHY,” filed Aug. 27, 2018.

U.S. application Ser. No. 16/112,767 is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/334,295, entitled “ILLUMINATING APPARATUS ANDSYSTEM FOR MOBILE DEVICE PHOTOGRAPHY,” which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/294,713, entitled “A SYSTEM AND METHODFOR EVENLY-SCATTERED ADAPTABLE SUBJECT LIGHTING FOR MOBILE DEVICEPHOTOGRAPHY,” which was filed on Oct. 15, 2016. The entire content ofthese applications is also incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Art

The disclosure relates to the field of mobile device photography, andmore particularly to the field of providing adequate lighting whenshooting photos of a subject using a mobile device.

Discussion of the State of the Art

In recent years, people ranging from regular people to attention-seekingpoliticians crave a new level of self-expression via the “selfie”. Thisis a new kind of “digital identity development” has become a new era ofsocial communication. For that reason, whether it is via Facebook™,Instagram™, Tumblr™ or Snapchat™, the online, photo-centric generationis here to stay.

“The selfie” provides a luxury of depicting oneself in a way that shedesires. Technology gives users control to shape and manipulate who theyare and perhaps mask flaws and imagined shortcomings in a way that wasnot previously possible off-line. It has become an opportunity forpeople to showcase themselves to the world with little or norepercussions. So, when the “likes” and affirming responses to carefullyselected selfies come in large numbers in a given week, a satisfactionof that kind of global validation is immeasurable.

Photographers using mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets arelimited by the function and lighting of their mobile device or need touse additional equipment to set up an ideal photography environment, orrisk lackluster results. Often this involves setting up a photo boothenvironment where they can control variables such as color and lighting,to best illuminate a subject and get the best image. For casualphotography this is prohibitive due to time, cost, and setup involved,some turn to rental photo booths provided by a third party when needed,again at the expense of additional cost for better photos.

What is needed is a means to replicate a professional-quality photoenvironment using nonspecialized equipment so a photographer may utilizetheir existing mobile device, and that is portable and affordable forshared or public use and casual photographers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the inventor has conceived and reduced to practice, in apreferred embodiment of the invention, an apparatus for evenly-scatteredadaptable subject lighting for mobile device photography.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, an apparatus forevenly-scattered adaptable subject lighting for mobile devicephotography, comprising a case comprising at least an enclosurecomprising a rigid material configured to enclose and securely fasten amobile device and further comprising an illuminating portion, theilluminating portion being configured to produce light based at least inpart on input received from a lighting modulator; a mobile device mountcomprising at least a plurality of attachment points, the attachmentpoints comprising at least a threaded receptacle configured to accept athreaded bolt or screw; and a lighting modulator comprising at least aplurality of programming instructions stored in a memory and operatingon a processor of a computing device, and configured to direct theoperation of the illuminating portion, is disclosed.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, a method forevenly-scattered adaptable subject lighting for mobile devicephotography, comprising the steps of collecting, at a lighting modulatorcomprising at least a plurality of programming instructions stored in amemory and operating on a processor of a computing device, andconfigured to direct the operation of the illuminating portion, inputdata directing the operation of an illuminating portion of a casecomprising at least an enclosure comprising a rigid material configuredto enclose and securely fasten a mobile device and further comprising anilluminating portion, the illuminating portion being configured toproduce light based at least in part on input received from a lightingmodulator based at least in part on the input data, is disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate several embodiments of theinvention and, together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention according to the embodiments. It will beappreciated by one skilled in the art that the particular embodimentsillustrated in the drawings are merely exemplary, and are not to beconsidered as limiting of the scope of the invention or the claimsherein in any way.

FIG. 1A is an illustration of multiple views of an exemplary hardwarearrangement of an apparatus for evenly-scattered adaptable subjectlighting for mobile device photography, illustrating the use of a mobiledevice enclosure with integral illuminating portion according to apreferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1B is an illustration of multiple views of an alternate exemplaryhardware arrangement of an apparatus for evenly-scattered adaptablesubject lighting for mobile device photography, illustrating the use ofa mountable mobile device apparatus with circular illuminating portionaccording to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1C is an illustration of an exemplary construction and interiorview of an apparatus for evenly-scattered adaptable subject lighting formobile device photography, according to a preferred embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 1D is an illustration of an exemplary hardware configuration of anapparatus for evenly-scattered adaptable subject lighting for mobiledevice photography, illustrating construction using a snap-fit clamshellconfiguration.

FIG. 1E is an illustration of an exemplary hardware configuration of anapparatus for evenly-scattered adaptable subject lighting for mobiledevice photography, illustrating construction using a hingedconfiguration.

FIG. 1F is an illustration of an exemplary hardware configuration of anapparatus for evenly-scattered adaptable subject lighting for mobiledevice photography, illustrating the opening action of a hingedconfiguration.

FIG. 1G is an illustration of an exemplary hardware configuration of anapparatus for evenly-scattered adaptable subject lighting for mobiledevice photography, illustrating a removable cable connector housing ina closed configuration.

FIG. 1H is an illustration of an exemplary hardware configuration of anapparatus for evenly-scattered adaptable subject lighting for mobiledevice photography, illustrating a removable cable connector housing ina partially open configuration.

FIG. 1I is an illustration of an exemplary hardware configuration of anapparatus for evenly-scattered adaptable subject lighting for mobiledevice photography, illustrating a removable cable connector housing inan open configuration.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an exemplary architecture of sensorprocessing systems, according to a preferred embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an exemplary manual method for adjustingsubject lighting using programmable instructions on a mobile device,according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an exemplary adaptive method forautomatically adjusting subject lighting, according to a preferredembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an exemplary communication arrangementbetween a plurality of sensor processing systems, according to apreferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of an exemplary sensor trigger, according to apreferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary hardwarearchitecture of a computing device used in an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary logical architecturefor a client device, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an exemplary architectural arrangementof clients, servers, and external services, according to an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 10 is another block diagram illustrating an exemplary hardwarearchitecture of a computing device used in various embodiments of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The inventor has conceived, and reduced to practice, in a preferredembodiment of the invention, an apparatus for adaptable evenly-scatteredsubject lighting for mobile device photography.

One or more different inventions may be described in the presentapplication. Further, for one or more of the inventions describedherein, numerous alternative embodiments may be described; it should beappreciated that these are presented for illustrative purposes only andare not limiting of the inventions contained herein or the claimspresented herein in any way. One or more of the inventions may be widelyapplicable to numerous embodiments, as may be readily apparent from thedisclosure. In general, embodiments are described in sufficient detailto enable those skilled in the art to practice one or more of theinventions, and it should be appreciated that other embodiments may beutilized and that structural, logical, software, electrical and otherchanges may be made without departing from the scope of the particularinventions. Accordingly, one skilled in the art will recognize that oneor more of the inventions may be practiced with various modificationsand alterations. Particular features of one or more of the inventionsdescribed herein may be described with reference to one or moreparticular embodiments or figures that form a part of the presentdisclosure, and in which are shown, by way of illustration, specificembodiments of one or more of the inventions. It should be appreciated,however, that such features are not limited to usage in the one or moreparticular embodiments or figures with reference to which they aredescribed. The present disclosure is neither a literal description ofall embodiments of one or more of the inventions nor a listing offeatures of one or more of the inventions that must be present in allembodiments.

Headings of sections provided in this patent application and the titleof this patent application are for convenience only, and are not to betaken as limiting the disclosure in any way.

Devices that are in communication with each other need not be incontinuous communication with each other, unless expressly specifiedotherwise. In addition, devices that are in communication with eachother may communicate directly or indirectly through one or morecommunication means or intermediaries, logical or physical.

A description of an embodiment with several components in communicationwith each other does not imply that all such components are required. Tothe contrary, a variety of optional components may be described toillustrate a wide variety of possible embodiments of one or more of theinventions and in order to more fully illustrate one or more aspects ofthe inventions. Similarly, although process steps, method steps,algorithms or the like may be described in a sequential order, suchprocesses, methods and algorithms may generally be configured to work inalternate orders, unless specifically stated to the contrary. In otherwords, any sequence or order of steps that may be described in thispatent application does not, in and of itself, indicate a requirementthat the steps be performed in that order. The steps of describedprocesses may be performed in any order practical. Further, some stepsmay be performed simultaneously despite being described or implied asoccurring non-simultaneously (e.g., because one step is described afterthe other step). Moreover, the illustration of a process by itsdepiction in a drawing does not imply that the illustrated process isexclusive of other variations and modifications thereto, does not implythat the illustrated process or any of its steps are necessary to one ormore of the invention(s), and does not imply that the illustratedprocess is preferred. Also, steps are generally described once perembodiment, but this does not mean they must occur once, or that theymay only occur once each time a process, method, or algorithm is carriedout or executed. Some steps may be omitted in some embodiments or someoccurrences, or some steps may be executed more than once in a givenembodiment or occurrence.

When a single device or article is described herein, it will be readilyapparent that more than one device or article may be used in place of asingle device or article. Similarly, where more than one device orarticle is described herein, it will be readily apparent that a singledevice or article may be used in place of the more than one device orarticle.

The functionality or the features of a device may be alternativelyembodied by one or more other devices that are not explicitly describedas having such functionality or features. Thus, other embodiments of oneor more of the inventions need not include the device itself.

Techniques and mechanisms described or referenced herein will sometimesbe described in singular form for clarity. However, it should beappreciated that particular embodiments may include multiple iterationsof a technique or multiple instantiations of a mechanism unless notedotherwise. Process descriptions or blocks in figures should beunderstood as representing modules, segments, or portions of code whichinclude one or more executable instructions for implementing specificlogical functions or steps in the process. Alternate implementations areincluded within the scope of embodiments of the present invention inwhich, for example, functions may be executed out of order from thatshown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverseorder, depending on the functionality involved, as would be understoodby those having ordinary skill in the art.

Definitions

The term “photographer”, as used herein, refers to an operator of aphotography device. It does not imply a user of any skill level orhaving any special education.

Detailed Description of Exemplary Embodiments

FIG. 1A is an illustration of multiple views of an exemplary hardwarearrangement of an apparatus 100 for evenly-scattered adaptable subjectlighting for mobile device photography, illustrating the use of a mobiledevice enclosure 111 with integral illuminating portion 112 according toa preferred embodiment of the invention. According to the embodiment,apparatus 100 may comprise a case or enclosure 111 for a mobile devicesuch as a tablet 114 or other mobile device (for example, including butnot limited to a smartphone, laptop or convertible personal computer,media recorder or player device, or other portable electronic device)may be used to securely contain and enclose mobile device 114 whilestill permitting access to common functions such as a touchscreen orhardware buttons that may be on the device casing (for example, on thefront of the front or sides of the device). It should be appreciatedthat various particular arrangements of a case 111 may be utilized fordifferent mobile devices 114, and that different arrangements may beutilized to permit or restrict access to certain functions, such as toprevent users from accessing a power switch or volume controls, or toprevent removal of a device battery.

Case 111 may comprise a locking mechanism such as a mechanical slidingportion 113 configured to secure a mobile device 114 in place whenfastened. Case 111 may also comprise a port connector integrally formedor affixed within or upon sliding portion 113 to connect to a power,data, or other port integral to mobile device 114, such as to allowmobile device 114 to be charged while secured, or to permit pass-throughaccess to other hardware ports such as audio or video inputs or outputs,or to provide external accessory functionality via a data port such asto provide additional hardware sensors (for example, light sensors foruse in determining an appropriate configuration for an illuminatingportion 112). In this manner, mobile device 114 may be securely fastenedwithout restricting function, by permitting access to hardware ports andother functions without removing from case 111.

Case 111 may further comprise an illuminating portion 112, that may beconfigured as, for example, a ring or border surrounding mobile device114. Illuminating portion 112 may be configured as an entire surface ofcase 111 as shown, or may be an affixed or integrally-formed portion ofcase 111, for example an extruded ring (as described below withreference to FIG. 1B), rectangle, or other shape configured to providedirectional or scattered light when illuminated, and optionallyconfigured for use as a brace, handle, mount, or other structuralcomponent for various use. In this manner, portions of case 111 may beused in a dual-purpose manner, as both structural components as well aslighting elements for use in providing evenly-scattered adaptablesubject lighting for mobile device photography. Additionally,illuminating portion 112 may be constructed using a variety ofmaterials, shapes, or techniques to achieve a particular desiredlighting quality, such as the use of light emitting diode (LED) lightelements for programmable color variance, incandescent lighting elementsto more closely replicate natural light conditions, the use of smooth orcurved surface shapes or contours to direct or scatter light as desired,or the use of Fresnel or other lens designs to further direct light asneeded during use. Additionally, by using a mobile device 114, hardwareand software capabilities such as sensors and specialized softwareapplications may be used to further enhance photography. For example,device sensors may be used to detect ambient light conditions or imagequalities such as (for example, including but not limited to) anindividual's clothing, hair, or skin tone, the color or shape of aninanimate subject such as for photographing objects, or backgroundcharacteristics (such as color, texture, complexity, or distance) behinda subject. This data may be used to adjust lighting effects to optimizephoto quality, for example by altering the color or intensity of subjectlighting to achieve a desired result. This process may be automatedusing hardware sensors in a case 111 or mobile device 114 according tovarious arrangements, as discussed in greater detail below withreference to FIG. 2, or may be at least partially manual via interactionwith a software application as described in FIG. 3, for example so thata user may select photography effects to apply.

Case 111 may comprise a plurality of attachment points 122 a-n such as(for example) threaded holes, sockets, hooks, mating surfaces, or otherpoints for mechanical attachment to a variety of surfaces or fixtures.As shown, attachment points 122 a-n may comprise a plurality of threadedholes arranged to comply with common mounting hardware standards, suchas Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA™)-compliantarrangements for use with common mounting plates and wall fixtures fortelevision and video display hardware. It may be appreciated that anymounting standard may be used such as Flat Display Mounting Interface(FDMI™), VESA™ MIS-D 100/75, VESA™ MIS-E, VESA™ MIS-F. Additionally, aplurality of specific mounting points 121 may be used to accept commonphotography hardware, such as a tripod or stand. A locking mechanism 123may also be utilized, for example to accept 124 a standardized mobiledevice lock such as a Kensington Device, to prevent theft of a mountedmobile photography apparatus. In some embodiments, adapter matingportions may available to accept an adapter interface to add, forexample, a VESA™-compliant interface (not shown) to case 111.

FIG. 1B is an illustration of multiple views of an alternate exemplaryhardware arrangement of an apparatus for evenly-scattered adaptablesubject lighting for mobile device photography, illustrating the use ofa mountable mobile device apparatus with circular illuminating portion132 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. According tothe embodiment, a ring, torus-shaped, or in some embodiments asemi-torus-shaped illuminating portion 132 may be affixed to a mobiledevice 114, such as by being affixed to or integrally formed as aportion of a device mount or enclosure 131. Enclosure 131 may optionallybe of varied hardware design, for example comprising features of amobile device case 111 as described above, such as access to features orhardware buttons that may be on a mobile device casing, as well asincorporating retention or locking mechanisms such as threaded screws136 a-n for assembling and securing front portion 131 a and back portion131 b of enclosure 131 (as in FIG. 1C) or bolts 133 for securing mobiledevice 114 to construct enclosure 131 or adjusting its position oralignment (for example, to align the bezel of a screen or to provideideal access for hardware functions, or to adjust the position whilemounted to an external device, structure, or attachment), or a varietyof mounting hardware such as including (but not limited to) plates ormating interfaces for FDMI™, VESA™ MIS-D 100/75, VESA™ MIS-E, VESA™MIS-F, or standardized mounting points 134 for photography stands suchas a monopod, tripod, or flexible mount or attachment (such as forattaching or stabilizing a device on an uneven surface or on a wall orobject), or others. It should be appreciated that enclosure 131comprises a joined front portion 131 a and back portion 131 b (as inFIG. 1C) whereby circular illumining portion 132 is securely heldbetween front portion 131 a and back portion 131 b by fasteners 136 a-n.In some embodiments, enclosure 131, when fastened, includes at least aportion of circular illuminating portion 132. Enclosure 131 may furthercomprise a plurality of hardware speakers 135 a-n, that may be used torelay audio output from a secured mobile device 114 such as by pairingvia BLUETOOTH™ or similar wireless communication means, or by connectingto a hardware output port of mobile device 114 when installed. In someembodiments, the plurality of audio speakers 135 a-n may be encasedwithin circular illumining portion 132 similarly to above.

FIG. 1C is an illustration of an exemplary construction and interiorview of an apparatus for evenly-scattered adaptable subject lighting formobile device photography, according to a preferred embodiment of theinvention. According to the embodiment, a mobile device 114 may besecured within an enclosure 131 (made up front portion 131 a, backportion 131 b and illuminating portion 132) while offering adequateprotection to mobile device 114 against damage during use, and providingfor access to physical functions such as viewing the screen or accessinghardware buttons or controls while secured. In some embodiments,illuminating portion 132 may be a toroidal light emitting device. Insome embodiments illuminating portion 132 may be a semi-toroidalconcavity comprising a flat back (for example to provide ease ofconnection to back portion 131 b). In a preferred embodiment,illumination portion 132 slidably engages or fastens into matingportions 145 a and 145 b. In some embodiments 132 snaps into matingportions 145 a and 145 b, in other embodiments a faster is used, such asa plurality of screws, bolts, hook and loop, and the like. In otherembodiments, illumination portion 132 may be held securely in-placebetween a top edge and a lower edge of front portion 131 a when frontportion 131 a is fastened to back portion 131 b. Further, a variety offastener types may be used to secure mobile device 114 within enclosure131 and to assemble enclosure 131 for use including (but not limited to)mating magnetic fasteners having opposed north 141 a-n and south 142 a-ndiamagnetic poles to secure enclosure 131 when aligned, or a pluralityof threaded holes or sockets 143 a-n for use with fastening screws orbolts 144 a-n to mechanically secure enclosure 131 during assembly. Inthis manner a mobile device 114 may be secured in a permanent orsemi-permanent manner according to a desired use case or arrangement, tooptionally provide for enhanced security and protection or to provideconvenience for rapidly securing and removing a mobile device 114 asneeded. These and other various fastening means may also be used toprovide for a sufficiently stable alignment of mobile device 114 bothwithin enclosure 131 as well as relative to a mounting surface,structure, or device (such as via a tripod mount 134 as described abovein FIG. 1B, for example) to provide a stable platform for mobilephotography, as excessive movement may impede the quality of photographsor video. According to the embodiment, illuminating portion 132 maycomprise a formed portion of enclosure 131 constructed of a transparentor translucent material, to allow light from a light source to shinethrough. The light source may comprise a plurality of lighting elementsincluding, but not limited to, LEDs, electroluminescent (EL) wire, a lowpressure mercury-vapor gas-discharge lamp, incandescent bulbs, compactfluorescent bulbs, halogen bulbs, or other illuminating materials,configured to emit light optionally in preset or configurablefrequencies and intensities (for example, some arrangements may utilizeprogrammable LEDs that can change color or brightness via a softwareapplication). By carrying the material properties of illuminatingportion 132 such as thickness, color, or opacity, various lightingproperties may be achieved for various use cases or to accommodatedifferent photography conditions such as background colors or ambientlighting. In some embodiments, illumination portion 132 may emit atleast a controlled intensity of visible light only in a directionperpendicular to the plane of the ring and the front shell or into someother specific direction.

FIG. 1D is an illustration of an exemplary hardware configuration of anapparatus for evenly-scattered adaptable subject lighting for mobiledevice photography, illustrating construction using a snap-fit clamshellconfiguration. According to the embodiment, an enclosure 155 (as in FIG.1F) which may comprise a clamshell-type construction by connecting frontportion 146, middle portion 147, and back portion 148. In this regard, amobile device 114 may be secured within enclosure 155 during assembly toprovide a secure casing around mobile device 114. As shown, middleportion 147 may be an illuminating portion that may comprise a formedportion of enclosure 155 constructed of a transparent or translucentmaterial, to allow light from embedded illumination elements withinmiddle portion 147 to shine through. Illuminating middle portion 147 maycomprise embedded illumination elements including, but not limited to,LEDs, electroluminescent (EL) wire, a low pressure mercury-vaporgas-discharge lamp, incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent bulbs,halogen bulbs, or other illuminating materials (or any combinationthereof), configured to emit light optionally in preset or configurablefrequencies and intensities, configured to emit light optionally inpreset or configurable frequencies and intensities. In some arrangementsconfigurations of the light may utilize programmable LEDs that canchange color or brightness via a programmable instructions running on aprocessor and may use hardware sensors as described in this application.By carrying the material properties of illuminating portion 132 such asthickness, color, or opacity, various lighting properties may beachieved for various use cases or to accommodate different photographyconditions such as background colors or ambient lighting. In someembodiments enclosure 155 may comprise a mounting apparatus for securelyencasing a mobile computing device within a front portion 146, themounting apparatus comprising at least: a front shell comprising a rigidmaterial formed or machined to comprise at least an outer surface, aninner concave open region, an open window portion, and an illuminatingportion; a rear shell comprising a rigid material formed or machined tocomprise at least an outer surface and an inner concave open regionwherein the open window portion may comprise at least an open regionformed or machined as a portion of the front shell configured to passthrough the outer surface of the front shell and into the inner concaveopen region of the front shell. The illuminating portion may comprise atleast a portion of the outer surface of the front shell and may beconfigured to at least emit a controlled intensity of visible light fromthe embedded illuminating elements as described above. The front shelland the rear shell may configured to be releasably coupled to each otherusing a variety of fasteners such as screws, snaps, hook and loop, andother fasteners. The resulting case 155 comprises the inner concaveregions of the front and rear shells and may at least partially enclosethe mobile computing device when so coupled. It can be appreciated thatby having concave regions allows for hardware sensors to be accommodatedwithin the case for security and convenience.

FIG. 1E is an illustration of an exemplary hardware configuration of anapparatus for evenly-scattered adaptable subject lighting for mobiledevice photography, illustrating construction using a hingedconfiguration. In a hinged arrangement according to the embodiment, anenclosure 155 (as in FIG. 1F) may comprise a multi-piece (that is, atleast, portions 146, 151, 152, 153, 147, and 148) clamshell-type designhaving a hinged assembly for securing a mobile device 114 (not shown inthis illustration for clarity). An outer faceplate 151 may be used tosecure the front of a mobile device 114, to, at least, protect thescreen, prevent ingress of foreign matter into enclosure 131, prevent anextraction of the mobile device through a front opening, and the like.Faceplate 151 may be attached to a hinged tray 152 that encloses thebody of a mobile device 114 to further secure and protect it, which maythen be attached to a hinged backplate 153 that is secured withinenclosure 155 during assembly. When assembled in this manner, enclosure155 may be opened about a hinge 154 (as shown in FIG. 1F), to allowaccess to a secured mobile device 114 for installation, removal, oradjustment as necessary. As shown, illuminating portions 147 maycomprise a formed portion within enclosure 155 constructed of atransparent or translucent material, to allow light from an illuminationelements embedded into portion 147 (as described earlier) to shinethrough. Illumination portion 147 may comprise a plurality of lightingelements such as (for example) LEDs or electroluminescent (EL) wire orother materials, configured to emit light optionally in preset orconfigurable frequencies and intensities (for example, some arrangementsmay utilize programmable LEDs that can change color or brightness via asoftware application). By carrying the material properties ofilluminating portion 147 such as thickness, color, or opacity, variouslighting properties may be achieved for various use cases or toaccommodate different photography conditions such as background colorsor ambient lighting. In some embodiments, the shape (e.g. concave, flat,etc.) of front portion 146 determined the distribution of light fromilluminating middle portion 147 which may include, but not limited to,illumination intensity, illumination direction, and the like.

FIG. 1F is an illustration of an exemplary hardware configuration of anapparatus for evenly-scattered adaptable subject lighting for mobiledevice photography, illustrating the opening action of a hingedconfiguration. According to the embodiment, an assembled hingedenclosure 155 may be opened about a hinged portion 154 to expose anassembled hinged assembly with a mobile device 114 (not shown) securedbetween a faceplate 151 and hinged back plate 153. This may be used, insome embodiments, to enable rapid and convenient insertion or removal ofa mobile device 114 or adjustments to its position or configuration thatmay not be possible when fully secured within enclosure 131 with thehinged assemble closed. It may be further seen that this hinged assemblydoes not affect illuminating portions 132, so any configuration oradjustments may be retained when making adjustments to a mobile device114.

In this manner, it may be appreciated that a wide variety of attachmentand mounting options may be provided and compatibility may befacilitated with a variety of third-party hardware and devices, as wellas providing for flexible attachment options for various purposes. Forexample, an apparatus for evenly-scattered adaptable subject lightingfor mobile device photography may be mounted to a camera tripod for usein professional photography without using separate camera or lightingequipment, utilizing a mobile device that may already be available. Inanother exemplary use case, an apparatus for evenly-scattered adaptablesubject lighting for mobile device photography may be setup for publicuse such as at an event (for example, a sporting event or a musicconcert), a restaurant or bar, or in a store such as for use bycustomers to photograph themselves with various items they areconsidering for purchase. By utilizing common mounting options andlocking devices, it is possible to easily deploy mobile devices forrapid and familiar interaction by customers, patrons, or otherindividuals, to provide an improvement over systems known in the art toempower users to take professional-grade photographs without expensiveor complex equipment and without special skill or any additionaltraining or instruction.

FIG. 1G is an illustration of an exemplary hardware configuration of anapparatus for evenly-scattered adaptable subject lighting for mobiledevice photography, illustrating a removable cable connector housing ina closed configuration. According to the embodiment, case 160 comprisesremovable cable connector housing 161 to conceal, contain, and access acable connector (for example, an Apple Lightning™ connector, a universalserial bus (USB) cable, an Apple™ 30-pin connector, a MagSafe™connector, and the like) for powering device 114 by connecting to apower source, or communicating with device 114 from another device (notshown), or both. As illustrated, in a closed arrangement, a cableconnector may reside within removable cable connector housing 161 andaccessed by removing removable cable connector housing 161 as describedbelow. In some embodiments, removable cable connector housing 161 issecured using a fastener (not shown) to limit access to the powerconnector (for example, whereby to access a cable connector, one mayrequire a custom or specific tool). In a preferred embodiment, removablecable connector housing 161 is seated flush to case 160 whereby thebottom piece is molded consistent with contours of case 160.

FIG. 1H is an illustration of an exemplary hardware configuration of anapparatus for evenly-scattered adaptable subject lighting for mobiledevice photography, illustrating a removable cable connector housing ina partially open configuration. According to the embodiment, partiallyremoved removable cable connector housing 162 is illustrated in apartially removed configuration. In a preferred embodiment, removablecable connector housing 162 slides horizontally away from device 114 toexpose a cable connector. In some embodiments as removable cableconnector housing 162 is slid horizontally away from device 114, thecable connector is drawn with removable cable connector housing 162 suchthat the cable connector is removed (i.e. disconnected) from device 114.In another embodiment, removable cable connector housing 162 is snappedinto place whereby grooved members (not shown) allow for retention andremoval of removable cable connector housing 162 within case 160.

FIG. 1I is an illustration of an exemplary hardware configuration of anapparatus for evenly-scattered adaptable subject lighting for mobiledevice photography, illustrating a removable cable connector housing inan open configuration. According to the embodiment, removable cableconnector housing 162 separates into top portion 163, middle portion166, and bottom portion 167. Middle portion 166 comprises access hole165 to accept cable connector 164 and cable mounting portion 170. Cablemounting portion 170 accommodates a mounting of cable connector 164 viaone or more fasteners (for example, hook and loop, screws, rivets andthe like) to allow an attachment of cable connector 114 to middleportion 166 such that, when mounted, cable connector 164 is placed inharmony and acceptable by a corresponding female connecting slot ofdevice 114 by, for example, using a horizontal sliding motion ofremovable cable connector housing 162 (when assembled). It should beappreciated that, in a preferred embodiment, by attaching cableconnector 164 to middle portion 166, an operator would be able to easilyengage and disengage cable connector 164 with device 114 by manipulatingremovable cable connector housing 162 without handling cable connector164 directly. Bottom portion 167 is a contoured portion matching thecontours of case 160 such that when assembled, removable cable connectorhousing 162 sits flush with case 160. A plurality of mounting members169 allow for the assemblage of bottom portion 167, middle portion 166,and top portion 163 (into removable cable connector housing 162) usingfasteners. Bottom portion 167 further comprises access hole 168 toaccept cable connector 164.

In some embodiments, bottom portion 167 fastens to middle portion 166and to case 160 and becomes part of case 160. In this regard, only topportion 163 is removable to expose cable connector 164 for access andmanipulation by an operator while bottom portion 167 and middle portion166 remain fastened to case 160.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary architecture diagram for a sensor processingsystem, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. Accordingto the embodiment, the sensor processing system 200 comprises at least aplurality of programming instructions stored in a memory 25 andoperating on one or more processors 21 of a specially programmedcomputing device 114, and configured to direct the operation of theilluminating portion (for example, circular illuminating portion 132 orilluminating board 132 a of device 114, or other illumination unitinternal or external to device 114, or any combination thereof) forevenly-scattered adaptable subject lighting for: mobile image capture;share images or files (or both) across network 240 for example networks31), interface with one or more other sensor processing systems 200,connect to external services via external services interface 230, or thelike. According to the embodiment, a light sensor 201 may comprise aplurality of electronic devices to detect light such as photo-voltaics,photo-emissives, and the like, or photo-resistors, photo-conductors, andthe like (or a combination of one or more) to generate a signal tosensor processor 214 indicating the intensity of light by measuring theradiant energy that exists in a range of frequencies for example,ranging in frequency from “Infra-red” to “Visible” up to “Ultraviolet”light spectrum. In this regard, sensor processor 214 may direct otherprocesses to behave based on the generated signal, for example, tomanipulate an output range for circular illuminating portion 132,illuminating board 132 a, or other illumination unit for optimum subjectillumination. Inertial sensor 202 may comprise an accelerometer, agyroscope, or a magnetometer (or any combination thereof) to act as aninertial measurement unit to detect motion or orientation of sensorprocessing system 200. In this regard, sensor processor may alterbehavior for specific functions based on device movement or orientation(such as rotation or position), As such, various system reactions may beinitiated such as, a change dimensions of an image from image capture206, send messages via message service 231 to one or more externalservices 230 (for example, sensor processing system 200 has experienceda sudden impact). Depth sensor 203 may comprise an infra-red projectoran infra-red camera, a Red-Green-Blue (RGB) camera, or another depthsensor element. Accordingly, depth sensor 203 may sense background depthdetection based on information received by image capture 206 or in someembodiment, a depth may be preconfigured and read from configurationsfrom configuration database 221. In other embodiments a combination ofboth may be used. Location sensor 204 may comprise a GPS receiver, anoptical position sensor, altimeter, and the like. Accordingly, locationand position information may be sent to sensor processor 214 based oncertain events such as: image capture 206 is triggered; recognitionmodule recognizes some action, person, or situation; sharing module 210shares a file or image; a particular user enters the system vis usermanager 215; from some received communication from external service 230,for example, a request to transmit a video feed from image capture 206.In a preferred embodiment, other sensor 205 may be a battery levelsensor that monitors battery levels for both device 114 or power supplyunit 45 (see FIG. 10) within case 160. In some embodiments other sensor205 may be a storage/memory monitor to measure available storage ormemory of device 114. In some embodiment, other sensor 205 may be a datatransfer monitor sensor to measure network up/down data rates. In otherembodiments, other sensor 205 may measure humidity, temperature, voice(e.g. a microphone), an Internet-of-things (IoT) device, or any othersensor whose purpose is to detect events or changes in its environment,and then provide a corresponding output to sensor processor 214. In someembodiments, preconfigured thresholds and alerts may be set based onmeasurements of other sensor 205. Image capture 206 may be a camera, avideo capture device, a scanner, a barcode reader, an infrared detector,a retinal scanning device, and the like.

Sensor processor 214 receives signals and messages from sensors 201-206and may trigger events based on specific input. Sharing module 210enables sharing of images, videos, files, metadata, and otherinformation within sensor processing system 200. In some embodiments,sharing module may prompt a user through a display (for example, inputdevices 28), or use user information from user manager 215 to connectto, for example, a social network via external services interface 230.Recognition module 212 may be a pattern recognition system such as afacial recognition system comprising programming instructions capable ofidentifying or verifying a person from an image or a video frame fromimage capture 206 by comparing selected facial features from the imageand a facial database stored in user database 220. In some embodiments,recognition module 212 may recognize other patterns such as objects,shapes, and the like. In other embodiments recognition module mayperform automatic speech recognition (ASR) comprising programminginstructions to implement methodologies and technologies that enablesthe recognition and translation of spoken language into text. In thisregard, recognized text may be attached as metadata to files, images,comprise the body of a message or post, or any combination thereof.Proximity module 211 may identify a proximity of other sensor processingsystems 200 that may fit some predefined criteria. For example, based ona social matrix received from a social network via external servicesinterface 230, common connections may be made aware when friends arecurrently operating another sensor processing system 200 and establish acommunication via message service 231. In this regard, images, video,audio, or other sensor data may be shared to a plurality of sensorprocessing systems 200. User manager 215 may manage a plurality of usersbased on information entered through input devices 28 (for example, userinformation entered through a touch-screen device), from informationreceived from external services interface 230 (for example, a socialmatrix from a social networking service), or form some other source. Insome embodiments, user information is stored in user database 220.Message service 231 may be a plurality of program code configured toimplement a plurality of messaging services such as multimedia contentto and from mobile devices over network 240 and may comprise messagessuch as a picture message, a multimedia message, SMS (Short MessageService), audio, email, or leverage well known messaging services knownin the art such as SIP communication, Skype™, Facebook Messenger™,Snapchat™, or post images or messages to services such as Tinder™,Facebook™, LinkedIn™, and the like. In some embodiments, message service231 may deliver a variety of media, including, a slideshow of multipleimages, or audio. External services interface 230 may connect to aplurality of external services such as social networking platforms,dating platforms, stock tracking platforms, other sensor processingsystems 200 and establishes communication to these services. Userdatabase 220 may hold user information and be populated by manual inputvia input devices 28, or be configured from user information (forexample a social matrix) received from external services 230.Configuration database may be managed by an administrator to, forexample, set the system operating parameters such as set thresholds,flag users, and identify other system parameters. File database 222 maystore images, video, recognized information from recognition module 212,messages from message service 231, and the like and may be used byvarious components of sensor processing system 200. Alert manager 213maintains a plurality of preconfigured thresholds and alerts whereby aplurality of associated actions can be performed based on one or moreevents within sensor processing systems 200, for example, events basedon sensor input at sensor processor 214 such as a temperature threshold,internal sensor change, changes in lighting, change in location, and thelike. Similarly, alert manager 213 may be triggered by a combination ofevents such an image from image capture 206 is recognized viarecognition module 212 as an actionable event and a message is sent (forexample, an image of a person of interest and metadata comprising atleast location is sent to law enforcement, or a pre-configuration topost images of a certain individual that appears at a sensor processingsystem 200 automatically posts to a social media newsfeed whenrecognized by recognition module 212); a particular user has arrived atsensor processing system 200 whereby a connection (as identified byproximity module 211) is at another sensor processing system 200, and acommunication (for example, an image exchange, audio conversation, videoconversation, etc.) is automatically initiated via message service 231.

In a preferred embodiment, sensor information from sensor processor 214,recognition module 212, proximity module 211, and sharing module 210 maybe configured as metadata and be attached to a file or image (or both),be stored in user database 220, be stored in file database 222 (forexample, associated to an image that was taken by image capture 206. Inother embodiments, sensor information received may be captured andattached to an image, file, or database based on preconfiguredconditions or thresholds, for example, recognition module 212 identifiesa particular user from an image captured by image capture 206corresponding to a flagged user profile in user database 220. In thisregard, sensor manager may attach sensor information, associate it tothe captured image and store a record in user database 220. In someembodiments further actions may be triggered, for example, messageservice 231 may automatically interface to external service 230 and senda message comprising the image and metadata to an external service suchas a social network, law enforcement, another sensor processing system200, or the like.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an exemplary manual method 300 for adjustingsubject lighting using programmable instructions on a mobile device,according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. In an initial step301, a user may interact with mobile device 114 for example, includingbut not limited to, a tablet computing device, a specially programmedcomputing device, or the like, to, for example, provide input regardingphotography preferences such as lighting, focus, or filters that a usermay wish to have applied to a photograph. Mobile device 114 may thendirect, in step 302, the operation of an apparatus for evenly-scatteredadaptable subject lighting for mobile device photography based at leastin part on the user input, and in a next step 303, the apparatus maydirect a plurality of lighting elements, for example, an illuminatingportion 112. In a final step 304, some or all lighting elements mayadjust their operation based at least in part on the user's input from aprevious step 301. In this manner, a user may manually configure generalor specific lighting properties they wish to use for their photograph,such as specifying photography filters to apply, specific lightingintensity or color, or (for example, in some software arrangements) tointeract directly with a “preview” image to achieve the user's desiredeffects, and mobile device 114 may direct the operation of apparatus 100to achieve the intended result. In some embodiments, device 114 allows auser to choose graphic stickers, overlays, decorations, or the like tobe placed on an image stored on device 114 or captured via image capture206. In this regard, a user may adjust the crop of an image via device114. In some embodiment, a smart crop feature may auto crop imageswhereby recognition module 212 detects, for example, faces from a storedimage or an image captured via image capture 206 whereby an automaticcrop function may position faces in a centered position of the frame forpleasing aesthetics.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an exemplary adaptive method 400 forautomatically adjusting subject lighting using hardware sensors,according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. In an initial step401, a plurality of hardware sensors 410 a-n may provide data forcollection, for example, ambient conditions, rotation or position, orbackground depth detection. Sensor information may be compared in step402 to predetermined preferred values, for example preset valuescorresponding to specific photography conditions such as outdoorlighting, close-up photography, or other settings. If the apparatusdetermines that the detected values are acceptable in step 403, thenlight elements (such as an illuminating case portion 112, describedabove in FIG. 1A) may not be adjusted. If the detected values aredetermined in step 403 to be unacceptable, lighting elements may bedirected in step 404 to adjust their operation in response to measuredsensor values. For example, if ambient light conditions are detected tobe bright or to have a particular color cast, an illuminating portion112 may be directed to lower in intensity or to alter its hue. In afinal step 405, sensors may be re-polled for new data after adjustinglighting elements, and operation may continue in a continuous loopingfashion to continually update the operation of lighting elements inresponse to sensor measurements. In this manner, an apparatus forevenly-scattered adaptable subject lighting for mobile devicephotography may direct its own operation based on measured environmentaland subject factors, to provide ideal lighting for any photographyconditions with minimal effort or configuration.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an exemplary communication arrangementbetween a plurality of sensor processing systems, according to apreferred embodiment of the invention. According to the embodiment, in afirst step 501, sensor processing system 200 is engaged by a user, forexample, via a touchscreen interface 47. A user may be identifiedthrough input of user identification information, facial or audiorecognition, or though some other identification mechanism. In someembodiments, a user may be authorized via, for example, a pre-configureduser profile on user database 220. In other embodiments, a user may beauthorized though partner login services known in the art. In otherembodiments, a user may be authorized by accessing an associatedplatform, for example a social network, LDAP, or some other networkservice accessed via cloud 240. In a next step 502, sensor processingsystem 200 may access external services associated to the user, forexample, preference information, social connections, account balances,or other information by optionally accessing one or more externalservices 504 via external service interface 230. In this regard, sensorprocessing system 200 may determine, for example, the user's connectionssuch as Facebook™ friends, LinkedIn™ colleagues, Tinder™ preferences,Snapchat™ connections & stories, and the like. In a next step 503,elements collected from external services are iteratively classified andcategorized. In this regard, conversations may be analyzed to discoverinformation about connections, for example, a conversation may identifythat a plurality of users may have been planning to meet up. In otherembodiments, step 503 may rank connections and identify which users touse in step 505 to determine proximity. For example, according to step505, a proximity of connections associated to the user may be discoveredand flagged to determine who may be currently connected to other sensorprocessing systems 200, or use location-based services (for example,four Square™, find my Friends™, etc.) associated to the user and theuser's connections. In some embodiments, a user matrix may be determinedby connections to external services through external services interface230 or by connections associated to the user via user database 220. in anext step 506, upon a connection being discovered that is in proximity(it should be appreciated that “in proximity” refers to a state where aconnection is contactable by being connectable to sensor processingsystem 200 rather than physical proximity, for example connected toanother sensor processing system 200 in a foreign country), acommunication opportunity may be offered to the user. For example, theuser may be notified that a connection is currently connected to anothersensor processing system 200. In this regard, based on communicationspreferences stored in configuration database 221, may be pre-configuredto, for example, auto share images as captured by sensor processor 214from image capture 206. In this regard, metadata may be included in acommunication between the user and the connection. In some embodiments,message service may automatically send images or video as captured byimage capture 206. In other embodiments, a request is made to the userto initiate a communication. In other embodiments, communicationpreferences 221 may be configured to auto-share sensor information (forexample, from image capture 206) to be placed on, for example, atimeline feed of a connected social network via external serviceinterface 230 (for example, Snapchat™). In other embodiments, in step508, a communication established in step 506 may initiate an email to besent to a user configurable destination or a pre-configured destination.Once communication preferences are read and processed by message service231, a communication is sent in step 510 to one or more externalservices connected vis external service interface 230. In someembodiments a user may be prompted, or an automatic reading of one ormore sensors 201-106 may be included in a communication. For example, animage, location, temperature, humidity, inertial information, and thelike. In a final step 511, a session with sensor processing system 200may be ended by the user.

In some embodiments, flow 500 may commence when a process with acontinuous image feed is executing on sensor processing system 200, inthis regard, periodically, an image is sent to recognition module 212.If a recognized image is detected (for example, by comparing the imageto a pre-defined image-of-interest in user database 220), acommunication event can be initiated by alert manager 213. For example,the image may be of a known criminal and the image and sensorinformation (for example, location information) may be sent to lawenforcement by message service 231.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of an exemplary sensor trigger, according to apreferred embodiment of the invention. According to the embodiment, at afirst step 601, a process within sensor processing system 200 runs andwaits for an event from one or more sensors, for example, informationfrom an IoT device such as the operation of a door or a window, an imagehas been captured, a certain threshold has been reached within theenvironment, etc. In step 602, configuration associated to the event iscompared to known thresholds and alerts as stored in configurationdatabase 221. In this regard, configuration database 221 may outline aplurality of rules based on the alert, for example, to interface to oneor more IoT devices to effect change on to which they may control (forexample, temperature or other environmental controls, monitoringsystems, communications systems, mechanical systems such as to opendoors, windows, or gates, and the like). In a net step 603, accordingto, for example, the rules outlined in configuration database 221associated to the alert, sensor processing system 200 may access one ormore components in step 606 to activate the execution of one or morerules from configuration database 221 in step 604. For example,recognition module 221 may be used to identify a subject or situationfrom an image captured from image capture 206, message service 231 maybe engaged to send sensor information to external services connected viaexternal service interface 230, sharing module may share images on oneor more connected services connected through external service interface230 (for example, a social network, or dating site). In some embodimentsexternal services interface 230 may connect directly or indirectly to aprinting device via output devices 27 such as a laser printer, inkjet,thermal, or some other printing device, or indirectly to a printingservice such as Google Print™, Apple AirPrint™ Staples™ Print and CopyCenter™, Kinkos™ printing service, and the like via network 240. Aproximity module 211 may inform connections of a location to other usersof other sensor processing systems 200.

Computing Hardware Architecture

Generally, the techniques disclosed herein may be implemented onhardware or a combination of programming instruction and hardware. Forexample, they may be implemented in an operating system kernel, in aseparate user process, in a library package bound into networkapplications, on a specially constructed machine, on anapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or on a networkinterface card.

Software/hardware hybrid implementations of at least some of theembodiments disclosed herein may be implemented on a programmablenetwork-resident machine (which should be understood to includeintermittently connected network-aware machines) selectively activatedor reconfigured by a computer program stored in memory. Such networkdevices may have multiple network interfaces that may be configured ordesigned to utilize different types of network communication protocols.A general architecture for some of these machines may be describedherein in order to illustrate one or more exemplary means by which agiven unit of functionality may be implemented. According to specificembodiments, at least some of the features or functionalities of thevarious embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented on one or moregeneral-purpose computers associated with one or more networks, such asfor example an end-user computer system, a client computer, a networkserver or other server system, a mobile computing device (e.g., tabletcomputing device, mobile phone, smartphone, laptop, or other appropriatecomputing device), a consumer electronic device, a music player, or anyother suitable electronic device, router, switch, or other suitabledevice, or any combination thereof. In at least some embodiments, atleast some of the features or functionalities of the various embodimentsdisclosed herein may be implemented in one or more virtualized computingenvironments (e.g., network computing clouds, virtual machines hosted onone or more physical computing machines, or other appropriate virtualenvironments).

Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown a block diagram depicting anexemplary computing device 10 suitable for implementing at least aportion of the features or functionalities disclosed herein. Computingdevice 10 may be, for example, any one of the computing machines listedin the previous paragraph, or indeed any other electronic device capableof executing software- or hardware-based instructions according to oneor more programs stored in memory. Computing device 10 may be configuredto communicate with a plurality of other computing devices, such asclients or servers, over communications networks such as a wide areanetwork a metropolitan area network, a local area network, a wirelessnetwork, the Internet, or any other network, using known protocols forsuch communication, whether wireless or wired.

In one embodiment, computing device 10 includes one or more centralprocessing units (CPU) 12, one or more interfaces 15, and one or morebusses 14 (such as a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus). Whenacting under the control of appropriate software or firmware, CPU 12 maybe responsible for implementing specific functions associated with thefunctions of a specifically configured computing device or machine. Forexample, in at least one embodiment, a computing device 10 may beconfigured or designed to function as a server system utilizing CPU 12,local memory 11 and/or remote memory 16, and interface(s) 15. In atleast one embodiment, CPU 12 may be caused to perform one or more of thedifferent types of functions and/or operations under the control ofsoftware modules or components, which for example, may include anoperating system and any appropriate applications software, drivers, andthe like.

CPU 12 may include one or more processors 13 such as, for example, aprocessor from one of the Intel, ARM, Qualcomm, and AMD families ofmicroprocessors. In some embodiments, processors 13 may includespecially designed hardware such as application-specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories(EEPROMs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and so forth, forcontrolling operations of computing device 10. In a specific embodiment,a local memory 11 (such as non-volatile random access memory (RAM)and/or read-only memory (ROM), including for example one or more levelsof cached memory) may also form part of CPU 12. However, there are manydifferent ways in which memory may be coupled to system 10. Memory 11may be used for a variety of purposes such as, for example, cachingand/or storing data, programming instructions, and the like. It shouldbe further appreciated that CPU 12 may be one of a variety ofsystem-on-a-chip (SOC) type hardware that may include additionalhardware such as memory or graphics processing chips, such as a QualcommSNAPDRAGON™ or Samsung EXYNOS™ CPU as are becoming increasingly commonin the art, such as for use in mobile devices or integrated devices.

As used herein, the term “processor” is not limited merely to thoseintegrated circuits referred to in the art as a processor, a mobileprocessor, or a microprocessor, but broadly refers to a microcontroller,a microcomputer, a programmable logic controller, anapplication-specific integrated circuit, and any other programmablecircuit.

In one embodiment, interfaces 15 are provided as network interface cards(NICs). Generally, NICs control the sending and receiving of datapackets over a computer network; other types of interfaces 15 may forexample support other peripherals used with computing device 10. Amongthe interfaces that may be provided are Ethernet interfaces, frame relayinterfaces, cable interfaces, DSL interfaces, token ring interfaces,graphics interfaces, and the like. In addition, various types ofinterfaces may be provided such as, for example, universal serial bus(USB), Serial, Ethernet, FIREWIRE™, THUNDERBOLT™, PCI, parallel, radiofrequency (RF), BLUETOOTH™, near-field communications (e.g., usingnear-field magnetics), 802.11 (WiFi), frame relay, TCP/IP, ISDN, fastEthernet interfaces, Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, Serial ATA (SATA) orexternal SATA (ESATA) interfaces, high-definition multimedia interface(HDMI), digital visual interface (DVI), analog or digital audiointerfaces, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) interfaces, high-speedserial interface (HSSI) interfaces, Point of Sale (POS) interfaces,fiber data distributed interfaces (FDDIs), and the like. Generally, suchinterfaces 15 may include physical ports appropriate for communicationwith appropriate media. In some cases, they may also include anindependent processor (such as a dedicated audio or video processor, asis common in the art for high-fidelity A/V hardware interfaces) and, insome instances, volatile and/or non-volatile memory (e.g., RAM).

Although the system shown in FIG. 7 illustrates one specificarchitecture for a computing device 10 for implementing one or more ofthe inventions described herein, it is by no means the only devicearchitecture on which at least a portion of the features and techniquesdescribed herein may be implemented. For example, architectures havingone or any number of processors 13 may be used, and such processors 13may be present in a single device or distributed among any number ofdevices. In one embodiment, a single processor 13 handles communicationsas well as routing computations, while in other embodiments a separatededicated communications processor may be provided. In variousembodiments, different types of features or functionalities may beimplemented in a system according to the invention that includes aclient device (such as a tablet device or smartphone running clientsoftware) and server systems (such as a server system described in moredetail below).

Regardless of network device configuration, the system of the presentinvention may employ one or more memories or memory modules (such as,for example, remote memory block 16 and local memory 11) configured tostore data, program instructions for the general-purpose networkoperations, or other information relating to the functionality of theembodiments described herein (or any combinations of the above). Programinstructions may control execution of or comprise an operating systemand/or one or more applications, for example. Memory 16 or memories 11,16 may also be configured to store data structures, configuration data,encryption data, historical system operations information, or any otherspecific or generic non-program information described herein.

Because such information and program instructions may be employed toimplement one or more systems or methods described herein, at least somenetwork device embodiments may include nontransitory machine-readablestorage media, which, for example, may be configured or designed tostore program instructions, state information, and the like forperforming various operations described herein. Examples of suchnontransitory machine-readable storage media include, but are notlimited to, magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, andmagnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROM disks; magneto-optical mediasuch as optical disks, and hardware devices that are speciallyconfigured to store and perform program instructions, such as read-onlymemory devices (ROM), flash memory (as is common in mobile devices andintegrated systems), solid state drives (SSD) and “hybrid SSD” storagedrives that may combine physical components of solid state and hard diskdrives in a single hardware device (as are becoming increasingly commonin the art with regard to personal computers), memristor memory, randomaccess memory (RAM), and the like. It should be appreciated that suchstorage means may be integral and non-removable (such as RAM hardwaremodules that may be soldered onto a motherboard or otherwise integratedinto an electronic device), or they may be removable such as swappableflash memory modules (such as “thumb drives” or other removable mediadesigned for rapidly exchanging physical storage devices),“hot-swappable” hard disk drives or solid state drives, removableoptical storage discs, or other such removable media, and that suchintegral and removable storage media may be utilized interchangeably.Examples of program instructions may include both object code, such asmay be produced by a compiler, machine code, such as may be produced byan assembler or a linker, byte code, such as may be generated by forexample a JAVA

compiler and may be executed using a Java virtual machine or equivalent,or files containing higher level code that may be executed by thecomputer using an interpreter (for example, scripts written in Python,Perl, Ruby, Groovy, Objective C, Swift, or any other scriptinglanguage).

In some embodiments, systems according to the present invention may beimplemented on a standalone computing system. Referring now to FIG. 8,there is shown a block diagram depicting a typical exemplaryarchitecture of one or more embodiments or components thereof on astandalone computing system. Computing device 20 includes processors 21that may run software that carry out one or more functions orapplications of embodiments of the invention, such as for example aclient application 24. Processors 21 may carry out computinginstructions under control of an operating system 22 such as, forexample, a version of Microsoft's WINDOWS™ operating system, Apple's MacOS X™ or iOS™ operating systems, some variety of the Linux operatingsystem, Google's ANDROID™ operating system, or the like. In many cases,one or more shared services 23 may be operable in system 20, and may beuseful for providing common services to client applications 24. Services23 may for example be WINDOWS™ services, user-space common services in aLinux environment, or any other type of common service architecture usedwith operating system 21. Input devices 28 may be of any type suitablefor receiving user input, including for example a keyboard, touchscreen,microphone (for example, for voice input), mouse, touchpad, trackball,or any combination thereof. Output devices 27 may be of any typesuitable for providing output to one or more users, whether remote orlocal to system 20, and may include for example one or more screens forvisual output, speakers, printers, or any combination thereof. Memory 25may be random-access memory having any structure and architecture knownin the art, for use by processors 21, for example to run software.Storage devices 26 may be any magnetic, optical, mechanical, memristor,or electrical storage device for storage of data in digital form (suchas those described above, referring to FIG. 4). Examples of storagedevices 26 include flash memory, magnetic hard drive, CD-ROM, and/or thelike.

In some embodiments, systems of the present invention may be implementedon a distributed computing network, such as one having any number ofclients and/or servers. Referring now to FIG. 9, there is shown a blockdiagram depicting an exemplary architecture 30 for implementing at leasta portion of a system according to an embodiment of the invention on adistributed computing network. According to the embodiment, any numberof clients 33 may be provided. Each client 33 may run software forimplementing client-side portions of the present invention; clients maycomprise a system 20 such as that illustrated in FIG. 8. In addition,any number of servers 32 may be provided for handling requests receivedfrom one or more clients 33. Clients 33 and servers 32 may communicatewith one another via one or more electronic networks 31, which may be invarious embodiments any of the Internet, a wide area network, a mobiletelephony network (such as CDMA or GSM cellular networks), a wirelessnetwork (such as WiFi, Wimax, LTE, and so forth), or a local areanetwork (or indeed any network topology known in the art; the inventiondoes not prefer any one network topology over any other). Networks 31may be implemented using any known network protocols, including forexample wired and/or wireless protocols.

In addition, in some embodiments, servers 32 may call external services37 when needed to obtain additional information, or to refer toadditional data concerning a particular call. Communications withexternal services 37 may take place, for example, via one or morenetworks 31. In various embodiments, external services 37 may compriseweb-enabled services or functionality related to or installed on thehardware device itself. For example, in an embodiment where clientapplications 24 are implemented on a smartphone or other electronicdevice, client applications 24 may obtain information stored in a serversystem 32 in the cloud or on an external service 37 deployed on one ormore of a particular enterprise's or user's premises.

In some embodiments of the invention, clients 33 or servers 32 (or both)may make use of one or more specialized services or appliances that maybe deployed locally or remotely across one or more networks 31. Forexample, one or more databases 34 may be used or referred to by one ormore embodiments of the invention. It should be understood by one havingordinary skill in the art that databases 34 may be arranged in a widevariety of architectures and using a wide variety of data access andmanipulation means. For example, in various embodiments one or moredatabases 34 may comprise a relational database system using astructured query language (SQL), while others may comprise analternative data storage technology such as those referred to in the artas “NoSQL” (for example, Hadoop Cassandra, Google BigTable, and soforth). In some embodiments, variant database architectures such ascolumn-oriented databases, in-memory databases, clustered databases,distributed databases, or even flat file data repositories may be usedaccording to the invention. It will be appreciated by one havingordinary skill in the art that any combination of known or futuredatabase technologies may be used as appropriate, unless a specificdatabase technology or a specific arrangement of components is specifiedfor a particular embodiment herein. Moreover, it should be appreciatedthat the term “database” as used herein may refer to a physical databasemachine, a cluster of machines acting as a single database system, or alogical database within an overall database management system. Unless aspecific meaning is specified for a given use of the term “database”, itshould be construed to mean any of these senses of the word, all ofwhich are understood as a plain meaning of the term “database” by thosehaving ordinary skill in the art.

Similarly, most embodiments of the invention may make use of one or moresecurity systems 36 and configuration systems 35. Security andconfiguration management are common information technology (IT) and webfunctions, and some amount of each are generally associated with any ITor web systems. It should be understood by one having ordinary skill inthe art that any configuration or security subsystems known in the artnow or in the future may be used in conjunction with embodiments of theinvention without limitation, unless a specific security 36 orconfiguration system 35 or approach is specifically required by thedescription of any specific embodiment.

FIG. 10 shows an exemplary overview of a computer system 40 as may beused in any of the various locations throughout the system. It isexemplary of any computer that may execute code to process data. Variousmodifications and changes may be made to computer system 40 withoutdeparting from the broader scope of the system and method disclosedherein. Central processor unit (CPU) 41 is connected to bus 42, to whichbus is also connected memory 43, nonvolatile memory 44, display 47,input/output (I/O) unit 48, and network interface card (NIC) 53. I/Ounit 48 may, typically, be connected to keyboard 49, pointing device 50,hard disk 52, and real-time clock 51. NIC 53 connects to network 54,which may be the Internet or a local network, which local network may ormay not have connections to the Internet. Also shown as part of system40 is power supply unit 45 connected, in this example, to a mainalternating current (AC) supply 46. In some embodiments, power supplyunit 45 may be one or more batteries such lithium-ion (Li-on), NickelCadmium (NiCad), Alkaline or other rechargeable or non-rechargeablebattery (not connected to supply 46). In some embodiments, power supplyunit 45 may be placed within case 160 and connected to cable connector164 to supply power (for example, as a primary or backup power source)to device 114. It should be appreciated that some or all componentsillustrated may be combined, such as in various integrated applications,for example Qualcomm or Samsung system-on-a-chip (SOC) devices, orwhenever it may be appropriate to combine multiple capabilities orfunctions into a single hardware device (for instance, in mobile devicessuch as smartphones, video game consoles, in-vehicle computer systemssuch as navigation or multimedia systems in automobiles, or otherintegrated hardware devices).

In various embodiments, functionality for implementing systems ormethods of the present invention may be distributed among any number ofclient and/or server components. For example, various software modulesmay be implemented for performing various functions in connection withthe present invention, and such modules may be variously implemented torun on server and/or client components.

The skilled person will be aware of a range of possible modifications ofthe various embodiments described above. Accordingly, the presentinvention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for providing evenly-scattered adaptablesubject lighting for mobile device photography, comprising: a casecomprising at least an enclosure comprising a rigid material configuredto enclose and securely fasten a mobile device and further comprising anilluminating portion, the illuminating portion being configured toproduce light based at least in part on input received from a sensorprocessing system, the sensor processing system comprising: a firstplurality of programming instructions stored in a memory and operatingon a processor of a network-connected computing device, and configuredto direct operation of the illuminating portion; a plurality of sensors;a sensor processor; an image capture device; wherein the one or more ofthe plurality of sensors measure brightness and color cast of ambientlight; wherein the sensor processor adjusts the illuminating portionbased on preconfigured thresholds to provide evenly-scattered lightingfor capturing images of subjects via the image capture device; whereinthe one or more of the plurality of sensors are re-polled in a loopingfashion by the sensor processor to detect changes in brightness or colorcast in ambient lighting; wherein if any changes in brightness or colorcast are detected, the sensor processor automatically adjusts the lightoutput by the illumination portion.
 2. The sensor processing system ofclaim 1, further comprising: a sharing module; an external servicesinterface; wherein a plurality of network services are connected via theexternal services interface; wherein upon one or more images beingcaptured by the image capture device, at least a subset of the one ormore images are shared on a network to at least one service of theplurality of network services.
 3. The sensor processing system of claim2, wherein the at least one service is a social network.
 4. The sensorprocessing system of claim 2, wherein the at least one service is anemail account.
 5. The sensor processing system of claim 2, wherein theat least one service is another sensor processing system connected viathe network.
 6. The sensor processing system of claim 2, furthercomprising: an alert manager comprising a second plurality ofprogramming instructions stored in the memory that when executed by theprocessor of the network-connected computing device, cause the processorto maintain a plurality of preconfigured thresholds and alerts; whereina plurality of associated actions are performed based on a notificationthat one or more sensors of the plurality of sensors has reached orexceeded at least one threshold of the plurality of preconfiguredthresholds.
 7. The sensor processing system of claim 6, furthercomprising a recognition module comprising a third plurality ofprogramming instructions stored in the memory that when executed by theprocessor of the network-connected computing device, cause the processorto recognize a plurality of patterns in the one or more images.
 8. Thesensor processing system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of patternsare associated to facial features within the one or more images.
 9. Thesensor processing system of claim 1, further comprising a batterywherein the battery powers the illuminating portion and the mobiledevice.
 10. The sensor processing system of claim 1, wherein a subset ofthe plurality of sensors are system resource sensors to providemeasurements selected from the group consisting of temperature, memoryusage, battery level and network transmission rates.
 11. A method forproviding evenly-scattered adaptable subject lighting for mobile devicephotography, comprising a case comprising at least an enclosurecomprising a rigid material configured to enclose and securely fasten amobile device and further comprising an illuminating portion, theilluminating portion being configured to produce light based at least inpart on input received from a sensor processing system, the sensorprocessing system comprising the steps of: detecting, at one or more ofa plurality of sensors, brightness and color cast in ambient lighting;adjusting, at a sensor processor, the illuminating portion based on aplurality of preconfigured thresholds to provide evenly-scatteredlighting; re-polling at the one or more sensors, in a looping fashion,by the sensor processor, to detect changes in brightness or color castin ambient lighting; wherein if any changes in brightness or color castare detected, the sensor processor automatically adjusts the lightoutput by the illumination portion.
 12. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising the steps of: connecting, at an external services interface,a plurality of network services; upon one or more images being capturedby the image capture device, sharing, at a sharing module, at least asubset of the one or more images, on a network to at least one serviceof the plurality of network services.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein the at least one service is a social network.
 14. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the at least one service is an email account.
 15. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the at least one service is another sensorprocessing system connected via the network.
 16. The method of claim 12,further comprising the steps of: maintaining, at an alert manager, theplurality of preconfigured thresholds and alerts; performing a pluralityof associated actions based on a notification that one or more sensorsof the plurality of sensors have reached or exceeded at least onethreshold of the plurality of preconfigured thresholds.
 17. The methodof claim 16, further comprising the step of configuring, at arecognition module, and ability to recognize a plurality of patterns inthe one or more images.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein theplurality of patterns are associated to facial features within the oneor more images.
 19. The method of claim 11, further comprising the stepof powering, via a battery, the illuminating portion and the mobiledevice.
 20. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step ofproviding measurements from a subset of the plurality of sensors, themeasurements selected from the group consisting of temperature, memoryusage, battery level and network transmission rates.